What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZZEgaD8XqUA_tML0imMvh5pigGxiWEY4CHnUHkPmvtUQbrf-VeWp5PaxaaZGurSuXVaOiQjCZU4BNDjVAUvpPuwLsRCfQUeMOm20KMtsz41jeAy8qDL-7bEbU_2xArBh9EB8uhJMgAeD/s1600/cast.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZZEgaD8XqUA_tML0imMvh5pigGxiWEY4CHnUHkPmvtUQbrf-VeWp5PaxaaZGurSuXVaOiQjCZU4BNDjVAUvpPuwLsRCfQUeMOm20KMtsz41jeAy8qDL-7bEbU_2xArBh9EB8uhJMgAeD/s200/cast.png" width="185" /></a></div>Don't I look miserable? I tried to smile but honestly, I just want to cry.<br /><br />I have a severe fracture of my scaphoid wrist bone. Only the most important bones in my wrist.<br /><br />A full cast for three months...if I'm lucky. The alternative is surgery in a month if it's not healing properly. I don't like either option but I hate surgery.<br /><br />Several of you suggested seeing a doctor after my bike accident. Since I was still having wrist pain I scheduled an appointment for this morning with an orthopedic surgeon. I actually saw three surgeons this morning. The first was a young intern, barely wet behind the ears, then the real doctor, then the #1 orthopedic surgeon in the area (at least that's what they told me), he just happen to be down to the Federal Way Clinic from the Seattle Virginia Mason Clinic. He's the one that made the diagnosis and had them put me in this miserable cast. <br /><br />This is life I guess. Ironic because I love doing upper body workouts. Well, that's not going to happen for three months. I guess I'll focus on abs and lower body. My cardio will have to be walking. Lots and lots of walking.<br /><br />Even worse than not being able to exercise my regular routine is that I can't type with my left hand. I type for a living, software development. Not good. <br /><br />I just want to cry.<br /><br />Before my day went to hell at the doctor's office, I weighed in at 188.4. That was a nice number to see (much better than 199.8 from two weeks ago). It's going to be a real battle to keep going with my weight loss with my arm out of commission, but I intend to keep up the good fight in spite of this setback with the cast.

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

Don't I look miserable? I tried to smile but honestly, I just want to cry. I have a severe fracture of my scaphoid wrist bone. Only the ...

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Overcoming the unemployed "stigma"

<div class="ArticleHeadline"><div class="cbmsnArticleImage" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/th/ar5l1186hws7js4tk5th.gif?time=7/12/2011 6:12:50 pm" /></div><div class="hdr_org_bld"><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Michael Froehls, Ph.D., author of "The Gift of Job Loss"</span></b> </div></div><div class="ArticleContent">In the movie "The Company Men," several managers get laid-off. One of them is afraid that the neighbors will find out. He dresses up in the morning, and then leaves home in a suit, only to return for dinner as if coming back from work. Apparently, he perceives the social stigma of unemployment to be higher than the many negative consequences of his behavior -- living a double life, missing opportunities within his network, and the inconvenience and inefficiency of scheduling an unproductive day. In short, a behavior that is emotionally destructive, wastes time and does not achieve positive results. <br />Let's take a closer look at the issue of social stigma. It comes in two parts and either one or both might apply to you:<br /><br />1. <b>Your own perception</b>: You blame yourself for job loss. Or you feel like a victim. Either way, you are in shock. You might even think that your worth as a human being has declined. You believe there is social stigma attached to your situation without even knowing whether this is the case or not.<br /><br />2. <b>The perception of others</b>: People might look down on you. Yes, for someone who has never experienced job loss and doesn't understand today's job market, unemployment is your fault. <br />The good news is that you can largely overcome both issues. Once you conquer your own fear and act accordingly, you will also raise the probabilities of overcoming any negative perception of others.<br />How to overcome your own negative perception<br /><br />1. <b>Understand the facts</b>. Losing a job is nothing unusual during your 30-40 years of work until retirement. You have to expect it. Your risk of being dismissed is independent of your level of hierarchy, education or skills. Even your performance might not matter. If a merger happens, or a cost cutting program eliminates your unit, your job is history. Bad luck. Don't blame yourself. Move on.<br /><br />2. <b>Don't view yourself as unemployed.</b> Don't call yourself "unemployed." View yourself as somebody "between jobs," somebody who is given time in exchange for losing a job. You might not even know at the time of lay-off whether employment, self-employment, or something else is in your future. <br /><br />3. <b>Use your time strategically. </b>Don't just apply for jobs and watch TV the rest of the day. Use your time wisely. Perhaps, you would have better job prospects if you were certified in your field? Go for it. Want to check out a different city with better opportunities in your area of expertise? Your time has come. Always postponed becoming fluent in a foreign language? Learn one now. Never had the time to shed unwanted weight? Put in the effort now. The options to use your time to lay the groundwork for your personal and professional future are countless. The benefits could be amazing. By staying active, you are less likely to feel sorry for yourself. You acquire new skills and become a better job candidate. Your energy and emotional well-being will show in the confident way you act in front of others. This includes the HR managers who will be impressed by you.<br /><br /><b>How to overcome the negative perception of others?</b><br /><br />1. <b>It does not matter -- disregard the noise around you</b>. Who cares what others think? Whether you are unemployed, belong to an ethnic, religious or political minority, or whatever perceived shortcomings you have, there are always people who look down on you. Disregard them. You can't please everybody. And should you come across companies that do not like to hire unemployed applicants, view it as their loss. <br /><br />2. <b>Change the perception of others through your actions</b>. Notwithstanding the above, you will be surprised by how you can turn social stigma into admiration, even inspiration. If you use, let's say, a few months of your time between jobs to invest in your job skills, get healthy, help a charity, and enjoy a long-postponed dream vacation with your spouse, you will be surprised at how others now might perceive you as smart and driven. Why? You were strategic and used your time wisely, while others just waited for better things to come. Your positive attitude plus the results achieved will make you a stand-out job candidate.<br />In sum, don't let perceived or real social stigma of unemployment weigh you down. Your attitude and actions can help you overcome your own negativity and the views of others. Your odds of landing your desired job have just gone up. <br /><br /><i>Michael Froehls, PhD, is an independent management consultant and former global executive. He is the author of "The Gift of Job Loss." After losing his job during the recession, he used his time strategically by traveling, learning, and spending quality time with family. See <a href="http://www.thegiftofjobloss.com/">http://www.thegiftofjobloss.com/</a>.</i></div>

Overcoming the unemployed "stigma"

Michael Froehls, Ph.D., author of "The Gift of Job Loss" In the movie "The Company Men," several managers get laid-off....

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How to connect with an employer via LinkedIn

Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder Writer <br /><br />Used right, LinkedIn can be a job seeker's golden ticket. <br /><br />Savvy job hunters can use the site to gain all kinds of advantages: information on the types of people a company hires, the name of the hiring manager for a particular job (and if they're really lucky, an email address) and even the ultimate "in," a personal connection at a company of interest.<br /><br />But, for every job seeker that expertly navigates the online networking scene, there are plenty of others who fumble their way through it, often over- or underestimating the role the site should play in their searches.<br /><br />"LinkedIn is a valuable tool, but sometimes when people search for a job they can confuse activity with productivity," says Tony Beshara, president of Dallas-based placement firm Babich and Associates, and author of the book "Unbeatable Résumés," for which he surveyed more than 2,000 people about their LinkedIn use. "No matter what activity you're doing, whether it's writing your résumé or browsing profiles on LinkedIn, if that activity isn't actually getting you an interview, it's not as productive as something that would get you an interview."<br /><br />If your online networking has been less than productive (read: if it hasn't actually lead to a connection to or interview with an employer of interest), then you might need to revamp your LinkedIn strategy. These guidelines will help ensure the time you spend on the site is most effective. <br /><br />When reaching out to your contacts:<br /><br />· Don't be shy<br /><br />The whole point on LinkedIn is to connect with people, so if you're hesitant to reach out to a former co-worker you haven't spoken to in a while, don't be. She's on the site for the same reason you are -- to network with people -- so she probably expects the occasional introduction request. <br /><br />"Interestingly enough, everybody that's on LinkedIn expects the same thing out of everybody else," Beshara says. "[The thought is] 'What I do for you today, you'll do for me tomorrow.' People are a lot more open to responding to you because they know that somebody else is going to do the same thing for them, or that you're going to do the same thing for them the next time." <br /><br />· Don't be needy<br /><br />When you do find someone in your network who has a connection or works for a company you'd like an introduction to, your approach will play a big part in the person's response.<br /><br />"Make it known early in the process that you're not expecting your networking connections to do the hard work for you," says Diane Crompton, author of the books "Seven Days to Online Networking" and "Find a Job through Social Networking." "In other words, if you want them to introduce you to a contact at their employer, say something like 'I'm not expecting you to endorse me for this position or intervene on my behalf.' This will take the emotional burden off of them should they feel too much ownership in your job search process."<br /><br />If your networking contact is new, or someone you don't know very well, it's especially important to make it know that you'll be the most active part of the equation, Crompton says. For example, "Ask if you can use your contact's name as a door opener to get the conversation going with your desired end recipient. By doing this you've taken them off the hot seat in terms of their involvement," she says.<br /><br />· Take it off line<br /><br />InMail, LinkedIn's messaging function, is great for making initial contact with someone. But once that's done, move the conversation to email or a phone call. Not everyone checks their LinkedIn profile consistently, so communicating this way is often ineffective and slow. <br /><br />If you're browsing your connections and find out that someone you know pretty well works at a company or has a connection of interest, you can even skip the InMail message altogether. <br /><br />For example, says Beshara, "Once you find somebody you know at an organization, call them up and say 'Hey Mary, this is Tony, I understand you work with Leroy, and I'd like to get a hold of him. Can you tell me a little bit about him, or what's going on at your organization?' That sort of thing." <br /><br />When making introduction requests:<br /><br />· Let your contact know it's coming<br /><br />If you plan on asking a contact for an introduction and have his email address, send him a "heads up" to let him know it's coming. Doing so will help you gauge his reception to your request, Crompton says. "[Plus], not everybody is active on LinkedIn everyday and this will ensure that your message doesn't sit in their LinkedIn Inbox for a long period of time," she says. <br /><br />· Make a good first impression<br /><br />Something that not all job seekers realize before they send introduction requests: "When using the 'Request an Introduction' function on LinkedIn, you'll need to create messages to your 'bridge' (middle) contact as well as to the end recipient," Crompton points out. "Keep in mind that both people receive both messages, so if you're on a casual name basis with the introducer you'll still need to keep the communication more formal and professional, knowing that your end recipient will also get the message you sent along to the middle connection."<br /><br />When researching companies<br /><br />· Find the hiring manager<br /><br />If you're interested in a particular job, try finding the hiring manager for the position on LinkedIn. Job descriptions will often include the title of the person the job will report to. <br /><br />If the position reports to the director of marketing, for example, pull up the company page, and see if you can find the person with this title. If you do find the hiring manager, "it's absolutely OK to reach out to him or her directly," Beshara says. If the person's email address isn't listed, you can often find the company's email format online (for example, FirstName.LastName@companyX.com), and you can plug his or her name into this format. <br /><br />· Look at who they hire <br /><br />Browsing company profiles and looking at the company's LinkedIn page will not only give you a better idea of whether or not you're the type of person the company usually hires, but will also clue you in about potential alumni connections you may have missed. <br /><br />"You can look at employee profiles and find out what kinds of people the company has hired in the past, what companies employees come from, if you went to school with any of them , etc.," Beshara says. <br /><br />If you find a common bond between you and someone you'd like to reach out to, "Use the transparency of LinkedIn to assess the best approach for communicating with your end recipient," Crompton suggests. "Customizing your message by using these commonalities will build rapport and make your initial approach that much more 'warm.'"<br /><br />Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.

How to connect with an employer via LinkedIn

Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder Writer Used right, LinkedIn can be a job seeker's golden ticket. Savvy job hunters can use the site to gai...

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EdTechConf eXtended @ Elkanah!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>This guest post is submitted by<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"> <a href="http://karenstadler.wordpress.com/">Karen Stadler</a>, </span></em><em>a Senior Primary technology integration co-ordinator at Elkanah House, a private school in Cape Town. Elkanah House has been consistently introducing many new technology initiatives in their endeavour to integrate technology with classroom teaching. You can read Karen’s post about how technology happens at their school at </em></span><a href="http://bit.ly/nXBeck"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://bit.ly/nXBeck</span></a><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"> . (This was actually a competition entry for which she won a trip to the BETT conference in the UK in 2010). One of the Elkanah House initiatives is to hold a technology conference at the school at the end of this term. Read on....</span></em></div><div style="color: #666666; font: 12px/17px Verdana; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">The day has arrived!  We are happy to announce that our school will be hosting the very first EdTechConf eXtended event at the end of September!</div><div style="color: #666666; font: 12px/17px Verdana; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">All the details are below – simply<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">click on the picture</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>to register. We hope to see many new faces at our conference!</div><div style="color: #666666; font: 12px/17px Verdana; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">[<strong style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: red; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">PLEASE NOTE</span></strong>: If you attended the inaugural EdTechConf in May this year, we kindly suggest that you pass this invitation on to your colleagues. This will aid the EdTechConf team in their efforts to reach out to as many teachers and administrators as possible, and avoid disappointment due to possible content overlap. Thank you!]</div><br /><a href="https://adobeformscentral.com/?f=ICVEX01l6XZboo4vdZ95Xw"></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://adobeformscentral.com/?f=ICVEX01l6XZboo4vdZ95Xw"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhSxsWSCH8WVpJDUvcy5tTjopYSPjKUl0BnOdgY27Zt6TiAdLETE13euOCNwsJBCprbwXFS25MyKQJW7_cLIfV-Vi8-eoEPM1TTz7u3bSPwD01GYXDNDQxrfhrslyUdkcnJz9tCD2xDo/s400/elkconf_invite+%25281%2529.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><br /></div>

conferences EdTechConf eXtended @ Elkanah!

This guest post is submitted by Karen Stadler , a Senior Primary technology integration co-ordinator at Elkanah House, a private school in ...

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